Search form

Games

As I sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for some kind of last minute, major iOS game announcements from the giant video game convention that is E3, I've had a lot of time to reflect on what this biggest of video game showcases means to dedicated and enthusiastic iOS gamers. E3 has yet to become the primary forum for iOS games to make their grand debuts, though I anticipate this changing as more hardcore games make their way to iOS. But will iOS games ever carry enough hype to steal the show at major gaming events like the annual Game Developers Conference or E3.

Welcome to this week's review of some of the most captivating Apple news stories. It's been a full week with lots of exciting headlines, many of which focused on Apple's impressive Keynote at WWDC 2014. We'll also take a look at some interesting developments concerning new MFi (Made for iPhone) peripheral devices. Let's jump right in!

Holy moly, I forgot how hard math can be! I really feel for our youth who every year have to gear up for entrance, mid-terms, and final exams. If I had not known a math wiz who helped me extensively with my homework, I would not have made it through algebra, geometry, or trig, and I now only have a fuzzy idea of the rules (like the Pythagorean Theorem required to solve the above). I figured by now, one could use Siri to answer math questions, or at least the mega awesome MyScript calculator app (free). NOTE: Please do not try to use Siri or your iPhone/iPad during an exam, unless explicitly told you are allowed to do so by an authorized test administrator. If you are one of the unlucky few who are grinding through trig problems (or verb conjugation) these beautiful spring and early summer days, check out Play2Prep (free). It is designed to make getting ready for your next major exam fun and engaging. Mostly I found it to be quite ridiculously hard...but yeah, in a fun way I guess!

Epic Games' Tim Sweeney took the stage at WWDC as once again his company's technology was prominently featured at the Apple media event. This time however, instead of swinging swords as Infinity Blade's tragic hero Siris, the team behind the best selling Infinity Blade series was there to show off the capabilities of iOS 8's new level of gaming software called Metal.

Well, it’s time for another review of a G5 hidden object game. Don’t worry, though, because this won’t sound just like the last few that I wrote. It’s not that I didn’t like The Ghost Archives: Haunting Of Shady Valley HD(Free with $6.99 unlock), because I am enjoying it so far. Compared to a number of their other releases in the last couple of years, however, this one is fairly average when it comes to game play. There was also an odd bug that I ran into that did not make me very happy, but more on that later.

Apple is an American success story. And 'merica is all about freedom. Free Speech. Free Press. Freedom of Religion. Even Freedom Fries. Lately, that includes the freedom to smoke marijuana in a few states. Mind you, drugs have never been for me, nor are games that glorify drug dealing, but they exist and give people a (vicarious?) glimpse into the underworld that is the illegal narcotics business. Breaking Bad made a ton of legitimate money off illegitimate activities. Likewise for The Sopranos or The Godfather. I love those movies and TV shows, and would hate to have had some censor decide not to let me watch them.

I love video games, which is convenient since I play a lot of them as I research my Game Centered column. Typically Game Centered focuses on breaking iOS-related game news and new releases, but in this special edition I'm going retro, with a Top 5 roundup of some of my old favorite iOS games. The following are enduring classics which still occupy precious space on my iDevices, and in my gamer’s heart.

If you somehow managed to miss out on one of the largest App Store sensations this year before it was pulled by its developer, you're in luck. Flappy Bird is set to return to the App Store with some new features that'll make a seemingly overnight success an even bigger deal than it was before.

Some enterprising students may have done what others have yet to do, namely eliminate the barriers between Apple's iOS and Google's Android. The project is called Cider, and through some clever porting of iOS frameworks to Android, native iOS apps can run, although slowly, as native apps on Android. App developers don't have to do anything special (although not all frameworks and features work, such as hardware-specific features) but for a college project, it's quite impressive.

Most of the time, I review a game because either I ask a developer if they want a review or because someone asks me to write a review. Occasionally, however, I just feel compelled to write a review on my own, usually because I simply can’t stop playing the game that I’m reviewing. Beach Hero (Free with IAP) is just such as case. I honestly probably wouldn’t have even given the game a second thought had I not coming across it while compiling a list for a different article; but ever since I first launched the game, I find myself spending more time with it than just about anything else on my device. As a result I decided it was time to share it with iPhone Life's readers.

I'm trying to get back in the WIPTW swing again, and I found three relative newcomers to iOS that are refreshingly original and mostly free! Tales of Honor (free) is a space strategy and time management game that represents the honor universe well. Arena of Heroes (free) is a turn-based MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) that pits you against a computerized component or other ranked players in a pitched battle of warrior and magic-using archetypes. Uber Racer 3D Monster Truck Nightmare ($0.99)—yes that is the name, and I can't believe it did not overflow an App Sstore field buffer or set off an alarm or something—is a Mad Max-style crash and dash game, thrusting you in the seat of a monster truck during the last days on earth (or something like that). Let us proceed to the reviews shall we?

Game Centered features roundups and in-depth reviews of the best in iOS games and related gaming news. Among the App Store’s myriad games, it’s all too easy to overlook some of the greats. Each installment of Game Centered will take a closer look at a select few worthy of special recognition. This week we'll take a look at some of the newest fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled action games to hit the Apple App Store.

The popular Kickstarter project from PhoneJoy is now shipping and I had the opportunity to try it out. This is a Bluetooth controller that expands to fit just about any phone, in landscape or portrait. By any phone, that includes Android and iPhone, and thanks to the expanding nature of the device, the next generation of larger iPhones should fit as well!

I was a big fan of iCoolgeek’s first adventure game effort, Tesla’s Electric Mist, so excitement coursed through my veins when the chance came to beta test their second outing, Mount Olympus ($0.99). While I enjoyed the experience, the game just didn’t grab me like Electric Mist did. Now that I’ve completed the game I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. I enjoyed playing through the game, but there was a certain unevenness about the different chapters; and in the end, I never much cared about my end objective, which was to locate the missing gods. Ultimately, Mount Olympus just didn’t have the same spark as its predecessor.

My oldest daughter grew up on Knowledge Adventure's PC games, so I was excited to see their mobile offerings. The same daughter loved How To Train Your Dragon, so when Knowledge Adventure released an iPad app based on that movie, I was all over it!

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to own a dragon, the app game DragonVale can make that a virtual reality for you. This game lets you become the parent of a variety of dragons while you decorate your own colorful island and chat with friends who are just as dragon obsessed as you.

Titan: Olympus War lures gamers with the promise of an intriguing mashup: card battling meets strategy. The risk of such genre fusion is that it can be a simple gimmick, but Titan: Olympus War seems to have avoided that. The developers have put the time and effort in to create not just a different take on two genres, but a game that might birth its very own genre.

My grandmother lives in a retirement community, and several times a week she heads up to the social center and plays cards and other games with her friends. For the rest of us, most of our gaming entertainment comes from an interactive screen. Our iDevices provide that entertainment and Game Center ties it all together.

When I was asked to review Avokiddo's new game ABC Ride ($2.99), I jumped at the chance. I personally own Avokkido’s first two forays into mobile games and I think they are simply fantastic. But I was also a little apprehensive. The parent in me couldn’t wait to see my four year old’s reaction, but the hypercritical writer in me thought there was no way Avokiddo could strike gold three times in a row.

One thing I love about virtual shelves like the App Store is that you can often find items years after they have been released. When they’re good, that’s always a bonus. I wrote this review more than a year and a half ago, but I hate wasting things, so I figured I’d go ahead and publish it despite the age. The Lord of the Roads ($0.99) is still available on the App Store; and when I fired it up again, just to be sure that I wasn’t overinflating things, it turned out the game is still just as fun as it was back then. Plus it runs quite well on my iPod Touch 4. If you don’t get the significance of that, you’ve obviously never had the “privilege” of owning an iPod Touch 4.

The all-new Scosche BoomBuoy™ ($39.99) is the perfect pocket-sized wireless speaker that really packs a punch! Count on rich, crystal-clear, omni-directional sound and up to 7 hours of play time with this IP67 rated, waterproof/dustproof speaker. Compact and incredibly rugged, BoomBuoy is designed for optimum performance in outdoor environments. Just clip it to your backpack or slip it into your pocket and head outdoors! And it floats.